The subject matter disclosed herein relates to electrical switching apparatuses, and more particularly to an adjustable hydraulic damper, as well as a method of adjusting the hydraulic damper.
A hydraulic damper, such as an oil damper, may be employed to stop a high speed object in a short distance and absorb a shock associated therewith. The hydraulic damper may include a damper enclosure for a chamber defined by an inner wall of the damper enclosure. Typically, the inner wall is cylindrical and has a substantially uniform cross-sectional area with a piston located within the chamber. The shock absorption function results from a dampening force that is dependent on several variables, including fluid viscosity, piston length, piston diameter, a gap between the piston and the inner wall of the chamber, and piston velocity.
Various applications employ a hydraulic damper and comprise distinct mechanical characteristics which make the desired initial dampening force of the hydraulic damper different based on the particular application. Often, operators must manually add or switch damper arrangements for the application until obtaining satisfactory characteristics after testing the application. Unfortunately, this effort is time consuming and costly.